Thanks so much to all of my reviewers, PhantomFan13, coolmarauders, JustMeAndADream, JesskaLovesYou, mecca-dog, and Sarah Lynn 86, it really keeps me going. I won't be able to update as fast as I have been because tomorrow I have to go back to school- damn it! Anyways, glad you like it so far!

-Doyle

I am walking through the loud and bustling market of Bombay; the smell of cinnamon, mangoes and coconuts on the warm breeze brings memories to my mind and tears to my eyes. I see something dart by out of the corner of my eye. I ignore it, thinking it is only one of the flies swarming my face, but then I see it again. I whip around just in time to make out its shape. A monkey. My skirts are in my hand and I am sprinting down an alley after it.

I am out of breath and cursing whoever thought of the idea of a bloody corset by the time the monkey comes to a stop outside of a small hut. It climbs its way onto the roof and then screeches at me, beckoning me to go inside, daring me. I look into his shiny black eyes before taking cautious steps toward the hut. The afternoon sun blares on my back and gnats swarm my face like bees near a beehive. I draw nearer and I begin to hear noises coming from inside. I go nearer still until I can make out what sounds like moans of pleasure. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks and I look away embarrassed. I hear a ferocious shriek from the monkey who has jumped down from the roof and is now on the ground behind me, pounding the dirt with his tiny fists. Before I know it I run into the hut.

It is pitch black and it takes my eyes a minute to adjust. The hut contains only a bed occupied by two people who seem to be connected at the mouth; all I can do is stare in horror. The person on top, the women, brakes away and turns to look at me and I gasp, taking a step back, hitting the closed down behind me. Pippa. She just smiles at me, her beautiful smile, and rolls off the person beneath her. My heart skips a beat and my eyes tingle with tears threatening to fall. Pippa lets out a sweet little laugh and starts kissing his neck and a groan escaped his lips, Kartik's lips.

He turns his gaze to me and his eyes mock me as he too laughs at me, the pitiful little creature who can do nothing. I want to scream and shout, turn and run away, but I can't. I am held in place with his gaze. I glance at Pippa as she pulls a dagger from under the sheets and plunge it into Kartik's chest when he isn't even looking. I can't even look away; it feels like some one is holding my eyelids open and forcing me to watch this horrible scene. Kartik gasps, but soon his expression of pain turns into one of love as he gazes up at Pippa, his beautiful lips curving into a generous smile. My heart feels as if it just went through a cheese grater. She leans over and whispers into his ear and his smile grows even bigger.

She pulls the dagger out of his chest, he grimaces but the look of love never leaves his eyes. Pippa places the dagger in his hands and he rises from the bed and turns to look at me. He comes closer and closer but all I can do is stand there, waiting for him He places his finger on my neck and traces a pattern on the delicate skin there. He looks into my eyes and then, like a flash of lighting, slits my throat.

I wake up in hysterics; all of the emotions that I could not express in my dream comes out in one gigantic tidal wave. I roll over and sob into my pillow, trying to stifle the sound so I do not wake Ann. Kartik just killed me. Kartik just killed me with a look of joy in his eyes. Another sob racks my body. I curl up into a ball on my side to try to minimize the shaking. My wet lashes stick to my cheeks and my nose runs. I sniffle and close my eyes. It was just a dream Gemma, just a dream. He wouldn't have done it, he said he wouldn't have. I keep telling myself this until I fall into another restless sleep filled with nightmares of a white eyes and pointed teeth.

Ann wakes me up before going down to breakfast, not waiting for me. I drag my sleep-weighted body out of bed and pull myself into the vanity chair and look into the mirror. There are dark circles under my eyes and my face and chest is still blotchy from last night's hysterics, my eyes look as ghostly as ever. I sigh and wash my face with a wet washcloth. I struggle with the corset while getting dressed but I manage it and head down stairs.

Ann and Felicity are already chowing down on eggs and bacon, chatting away about the latest fashion in Paris. I, however, sit down to my usual cold porridge. My blood is to tired to boil. I cannot take this anymore! I hate it when people are cross with me. For what feels like the millionth time my eyes threaten to spill tears into my already watery porridge. I look at Ann and Fee, who haven't even acknowledged my presence, and I make up my mind. I will take them into the realms.

"If you really want to, I can take you to the realms tonight," I say, still staring at the bowl of porridge. They both snap to attention, mouths gaping like dogs with a hope of getting a bone.

"You mean it Gemma dear?" she asks. I just nod in response. "Oh I knew you would be true to your dear friends! When do you want to meet?" She is already by my side giving me a hug and Ann is smiling like a mad woman, I can see her eyes cloud as she dreams of being beautiful again and I find myself smiling in what seems like days. We agree to meet at midnight at Pip's memorial, Fee's idea.

The rest of the day goes by in a drowsy daze, until dinner. I sit down to a well-deserved lunch after trying to learn how to waltz for the last hour and missing lunch due to an unexpected nap, and Miss Temple has to ruin it.

"My dear Gemma," Cecily says in her sickly sweet voice, "you look positively dreadful. Maybe you should try not to do so many men in one night," she says with a innocent smile on her face that I would very much like to slap off, and I would have too if Felicity and Ann hadn't stop me.

"You are just jealous, Cecily, that Miss Doyle here has caught the eye of Mister Middleton," Fee says. I am so glad she is my friend again. Cecily makes a very unlady-like snort.

"And only a whore would turn him down," she smiles menacingly, "Bags under your eyes, always late to breakfast. Tell me, dear Gemma, about how long do you think until we will have a little Miss Doyle running around Spence?" Tears are running down my cheeks in anger and embarrassment. Before anyone can say anything more I run out the doors and onto the grounds, followed by what feels like a thousand eyes.

The sun is starting to go down and the temperature is going with it, I, whom is not wearing a cloak, am freezing. I am dizzy from lack of food and sleep, allowing me to get only to the lake's shore where I faint.

I open my eyes and see that I'm wrapped up in a blanket in front of a fire at a campsite. Panic grips me. Where am I? What time is it? I am too busy thinking of all the bad things that could happen to me to notice someone coming out of the tent.

"I see you're up. What, may I ask, were you doing running about at night after the sun has gone down?" I can't help but smile with relief when I see Kartik's face look at me from across the fire. I explain my still restless sleeping and lack of food, leaving out that bites about my dream of him and the encounter with Cecily. He says nothing but gets up and goes into his tent. A breeze makes me pull the blanket closer around my shoulders and I get a whiff of its smell; campfire smoke and cinnamon, and I can't help but wonder if Kartik ever slept with this blanket.

Kartik comes back out with a tangerine in hand. My mouth waters just at the sight. He peels it and gives it to me, our fingers touching just for a second. We make eye contact and I blush and look away. The tangerine is so sweet that I feel bad not sharing so I offer him a piece and he accepts it with a smile.

Another breeze sends shivers down my spine. Kartik notices this and does a very forward thing. He gets up and walks around the camp fire until he is behind me where he sits down and then wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me backwards so my back is resting against his chest. I am so surprised at such an action that I don't even respond. My mind is screaming that this is wrong, but my boy feels so warm and safe that I cannot protest. I lay my head back on his shoulder and I can see a smile grace his beautiful lips. Those lips…

His lips are over mine and I turn a little more. His arms pull me closer and his hands go to my lower back and into my hair, which has already fallen down, my coppery curls sprawled over my shoulders, my heart starts to race. His tongue slips into my mouth and I surprise my self by putting my hands behind his neck and in his soft curls and pulling him towards me, deepening the kiss even more. He tastes like tangerine and other spices and I feel like I never want to stop but my mind is screaming. What are you doing Gemma? Will you really go as far as disgracing your family? What will your father think? I suddenly pull back.

"I am sorry Kartik," I say, blushing profusely and looking away. He gets up and throws his arms into the air.

"Why do you do this to me!" The anger in his eyes gives me chills.

"It can never be," I whisper.

"And why is that?" he asks me ferociously. I can't even look him in the eyes, as I do not answer.

"I thought so," he sneers and then laughs. His laughing frightens me as much as his anger. He stops laughing and looks at me.

"I better take you back." All I can do is nod. We walk back in silence. By this time the windows of Spence are dark and everyone is most likely asleep. He leaves me at the door without a word. I walk slowly back to my room, thinking about everything that has occurred in the last few hours. And all I feel is regret. I regret not standing up to Cecily. I regret running off. Even though I enjoyed it so much, I regret kissing Kartik. I regret not telling him why I pulled away. I walk into my room and there's Ann and Felicity waiting for me.

"Where have you been?" Felicity asks, getting up from her spot in the vanity chair.

"Out," I say, not looking at either of them. I am exhausted and all I want to do is sulk and maybe get a few hours of peaceful sleep. Felicity starts to ask more about my earlier whereabouts but I stop her with a glare, it is none of their business. No one says anything for a few minutes, lost in thought. I can feel my heavy lids droop and I can barely keep my self up right.

"I can not take you to the realms tonight. I am dearly sorry, I will take you both tomorrow." I must look worse than I thought because they do not even argue, not even Felicity.

"You promise?" She asks.

"I promise." With that Felicity is out the door and Ann goes behind the changing screen, coming out a few minutes later in her night gown and gets into bed. Not a word is said. I strip myself down to my chemise but am too tired to pull on my nightgown so I crawl into bed as I am. I close my eyes and drift to sleep, seeing only the look of anger on Kartik's face.

First off I would like to apologize for any mistakes. I am in an incredible rush because I have to leave in a few minutes. I was planning on writing more for this chapter but I am simply running out of time and I do not know when I will be able to post again so I anted to get something up. Hope you enjoyed!

-Doyle